self build

Well, just come back from a few days in Dorset in the van, doing some cycling, and what a lovely time we had! Stayed at Lytchett Manor campsite which is great, and booked a cheap grass pitch but got upgraded to a fully serviced pitch. Pointless lol – the solar […]

Okay, it now over, and now time to use the van. We borrowed ideas from many blogs and websites, videos and forum posts, and each helped us design “our” van. So to pay back I’ve made a video of ours with enough detail so that anyone looking can see what […]

OK – this is the last job (I think) Storage is at a premium, so we’ve got to be clever. The drawer above the fridge is small, but we need to store a lot. So 2 breakfast bowls, one large salad bowl, 2 big plates, one small plate, 2 glasses, […]

Bit behind with blog, did this ages ago, but…. When you look at beds, consider how they are made and what space is accessible underneath. Some we saw were made in such a way that most of the space underneath was wasted and/or inaccessible. VW Rusty Lee beds are pretty much […]

Well that was easier than expected. DVLA sent us a new V5 today with all the correct changes, confirming it is now a motor caravan and has 4 seats! No hassle, no questions, no inspections, and no cost. Just over 3 weeks turnaround. Just a case of writing a letter, […]

Well, been away for 3 nights in the van, so thought we’d detail what we have learned just in case people want to copy us Van / Driving Well, this is actually superb. The extra weight makes the van feel better, the insulation makes it quieter, and the runners on the […]

Keep your fingers crossed! Paperwork submitted to DVLA to request conversion from “van” to “motor caravan”…. Should find out in a few weeks if they agree or not as they can be quite pedantic over a few things, and not sure how well the stealthy look will go down…. Pics […]

The wardrobe is the main storage area in the van so space needs to be used wisely. The LHS of the wardrobe contains all of the electronics, wiring, and fuse panels, but these have been boxed in with 3 removable panels. The middle panel has a hinged access door to […]

Wohoo! Within 3 months, the van is now fully functional and fully usable. The only outstanding bits are some cupboard doors, another drawer, some shelving, boxing and final trimming. But, pretty much 3 months to the day……! So the bed frame was made by Rusty Lee (see http://www.doyourdream.co.uk/2016/05/nv200-seat-and-bed-rusty-lee-rock-roll/ ) – […]

We always planned a solar panel, mainly due to the compressor fridge. We have 2x 100AH leisure batteries and a ctek d250s charger that connects engine battery, leisure battery, and solar panels via an MPPT controller to whatever needs the power. For a panel we went for the biggest we […]

The drawer above the fridge is a full extension soft-close drawer which is as tight as it can be – if things fit then they won’t get in the way of the hob bits above. Of course, we need to be careful putting in plastic. As per our last van we’ll […]

Most feared job #2 for the same reason as the wardrobes! I won’t bore you again. Bit more router practice, and loads of time spent making templates. A few cock ups, but think I’ve covered them over. The kitchen starts at a front bulkhead – this has to be back […]

Today I finished one of my most feared jobs. Whilst I can blag and bodge most things, and cover over most cock ups, doing the furniture is a bit final. They are on view, and need to be good. The problem is, I’m crap at woodwork, don’t have the patience […]

This is a bit of a milestone, its when you can turn the van on and actually check things work! Especially as some things we’ve had for 5 months or so! Quite a long post, but…. Batteries 2x 100AH batteries fit in bottom of wardrobe next to bed. I keep […]

The gas locker will fit in the rear offside corner. And, as usual, its very tight! And very awkward. Its built so the rear offside van air vent is kept clear for van ventilation, so is fully stand alone and can take a calor 3.9kg propane cylinder and we have […]

AL RICHARDSON: Hi can I be cheeky and ask the price you paid for for the pull out bed please?

Rocky: Great job. You seem to have a plastic edging to the carpet around the windows etc. Do you mind telling me what...

FYI: Any purchase made from Amazon via a link or advert here pays a small commission usually between 3% and 5% of the purchase price. This is paid regardless and you do not pay Amazon any more. All Amazon payments to us go through our business, and thus are treated as earned income and as such we pay tax and NI on it as we would on other income. Every little helps, and we appreciate the people who use our Amazon links - it does buy us beer, wine and chocolate from time to time!